LAREDO, TEXAS — A box truck driver who told Border Patrol agents he was hauling parts was arrested on federal smuggling charges after agents broke the sealed cargo door and found seven people hiding behind a mattress inside.
The driver pulled up to the U.S. Border Patrol Immigration Checkpoint near Laredo. A K-9 alerted agents to activity in the cargo area. Agents used bolt cutters to break the seal and open the doors. Inside, they found seven people concealed behind a mattress. No parts.
The seven individuals were in the country illegally and will be processed for deportation. The driver, a U.S. citizen and previously convicted felon, faces federal alien smuggling charges.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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